Just the ticket for allaying incipient ablutophobia.
Sloppy the tree dragon finally earned his heart’s desire in Sloppy Wants a Hug (2017), but now Dewdrop the fairy has again turned standoffish.
Her reluctance to bestow further hugs is understandable, as Sloppy’s vigorous mucking about in puddles has left him a mess. Her suggestion that he take a bath is initially greeted with horror, as he’s never had one, and anyway there might be sharks or crocodiles in the pond. At Dewdrop’s coaxing, though, and also when he sees a trio of ducklings expressing similar reservations to their mama—“Quack (Sharks!) Quack! (Crocodiles!)”—he does finally screw his courage to the sticking place. Although it’s about a dragon, the book offers much that will be familiar to grotty toddlers: The ducklings look like rubber duckies, and Julian provides the pond with both a drain plug and a floating basket of sponges, brushes, and bottles of bubbly soap. Sloppy himself resembles a flop-eared plush toy with, like his diminutive, light skinned friend, undersized wings. He comes out of the water feeling both brave and “AMAZING!” He gets his hug too, though (you’d think she’d have learned her lesson from last time) in return he lays “a great big gooey lick” on Dewdrop that leaves her hair a slimy tangle and sends her off for a bath of her own.
Just the ticket for allaying incipient ablutophobia. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4306-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The story is hasty, but its sentiments are sweet.
Can Little Dragon get used to the idea of becoming a big brother?
Little Dragon is ambivalent at best when his parents show him their egg and announce that there’s a new baby on the way. “He was definitely not in the mood for company right now,” reads the text on a page that includes artistic Little Dragon’s drawings of his family, which hang on the wall beside a sign with the words “My Room.” His solution is first to cover the egg, which is as big as he is, with blankets. Unsatisfied, he then paints a face on the egg, though it’s unclear why he has this impulse since the picture makes the egg more conspicuous. The drawing also displeases his mother, who brings him a bucket of soapy water and a washcloth. Contrite, Little Dragon scrubs the egg until he hears a loud “CRAAACK.” Lo and behold, not one but two baby dragons emerge from the egg. On seeing how cute they are, Little Dragon has an immediate change of heart and embraces his new siblings. On the final page one baby displays some of its big brother’s artistic sensibility in a humorous twist, and Little Dragon crosses out the word “My” on the sign in his room and replaces it with “OUR.” All the dragons have the same green-and-white coloration and spike patterns, indicating a homogeneous family. As an aspirational title for expectant big siblings, this tale is adequate, but its underdeveloped emotional arc begs unfavorable comparison to such subgenre classics as Julius, the Baby of the World.
The story is hasty, but its sentiments are sweet. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 20, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5107-1268-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 21, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2017
A goofy story and zippy illustrations make this a nice-enough book but not a must-have.
In this rhyming board book, knights meet dragons and become friends after an almost-battle between the two is defused by silly undergarments.
Readers first meet the knights as they’re attending the queen and the king, marching, and guarding the castle. When dragons approach ready to fight, the knights halt the hostilities by raising the king’s underwear on a flagpole. Laughter ensues at the silliness, and the knights and dragons become friends when they start a party that readers find under a nifty, crenellated double foldout. Holub’s rhyming couplets are easy to read and have a rhythmic quality that feels almost like a classic epic poem. Dickason’s cartoony, detailed illustrations with comic-book influences will appeal to younger readers. The bold, brightly colored spreads illustrating “Hello dragons!” and “Goodbye dragons” stand out as the clearest and show admirable restraint. Details such as the king’s tattoos are a fun wink to adult readers. Preschoolers will giggle at the king’s undies flying high and will also feel relieved at the peaceful, happy resolution to the book’s climactic clash. While the story is a bit nonsensical—why do the knights decide to fly the underwear on a flagpole?—the overall silliness will appeal to younger readers who won’t mind the plot holes.
A goofy story and zippy illustrations make this a nice-enough book but not a must-have. (Board book. 2-3)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-1868-4
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
